Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops is doing everything he can to keep Alabama coach Nick Saban from knowing who he will play at quarterback in Thursday’s Allstate Sugar Bowl. He said he won't name a starter until game time.

There are two main options.

In the regular season finale – a 33-24 victory over Oklahoma State, both redshirt freshman Trevor Knight and redshirt junior Blake Bell played. Knight injured his shoulder in the game after starting it.

Bell relieved him and later engineered an eight-play, 66-yard drive in the fourth quarter that consumed 1:27 off the clock.

Before Knight exited the game before halftime with the injury, it was unclear what the Sooners would get from the mercurial Bell.

In the Sooners’ Sept. 14’s 51-20 rout of Tulsa, Bell passed for 413 yards and four touchdowns – good enough for the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors. It was his first OU start and he hit on 27-of-37 attempts – career highs.

But in the Nov. 7 Baylor loss, Bell orchestrated only one touchdown drive. He threw two interceptions and finished with 150 yards. In the loss to Texas on Oct. 12, he also threw two picks and passed for only 133 yards.

Still, Sooners receiver Sterling Shepard said he knew Bell could open up the tight contest against Oklahoma State in the hurry-up offense.

“Oh yeah, we all know (what he could do) because we practice the two minute after practice everyday so we get used to moving fast,” Shepard said. “I knew what he could do. He’s going to sling the ball around to everybody and it seemed like everybody had a chance to touch the ball on that last drive.”

Bell completed 5-of-8 passes for 57 yards on that vital fourth quarter drive and capped it with a 7-yard touchdown toss to Jalen Saunders.

Still, Knight is an option. Knight is slightly more agile on the ground. He has rushed for 438 yards this season on seven carries – third-most on the team. Knight has also completed 47-of-90 passes for 471 yards in seven games played.

“You see two quarterback systems all over the country and you have two guys that are very talented, but talented in different things,” Oklahoma offensive lineman Gabe Ikard said. “It’s not a problem when you have two guys as talented as Blake (Bell) and Trevor (Knight).”

Stoops has squeezed lemonade out of the situation of having either injured passers or ineffective ones – particularly this week. He seemed not a bit concerned that Saban’s squad will have to prepare for two quarterbacks.

“Well we intend to be unsettled about quarterback all the way up until the game,” he said. “I wouldn’t say it’s unsettled I would say that it’s purposeful. And let’s face it, both those guys in different situations have really done well so we have to have both of them ready to go.”

Saban countered in his press conference on Friday that both quarterbacks are dual-threats and the preparation isn’t all that different.

"I think both guys are very capable of running the offense efficiently and effectively," Saban said and added: "I don't think there's a whole lot of difference in what they do."

Bell certainly is the more bruising of the two runners. He has rushed 75 times for 255 yards. Knight is faster and can run better to corners.

When it comes to passing, Bell, who took over for an injured Knight for seven consecutive starts after the Sept. 7 West Virginia game, has more gains – with 12 touchdown to Knight’s five passing throws. But keep in mind Bell has played in four more games (11 games played to Knight’s seven).

Against the Cowboys, both contributed to the win though Bell’s late game heroics stole the headlines. Knight rushed 11 times for 47 yards before leaving the game in the first half.

But even when the quarterbacks shuffle in and out of a single game, Shepard said he doesn’t feel any break in continuity between the two signal callers.

“Both of our quarterbacks can get the job done as you can see,” Shepard said. “Throughout the season they have been kind of rotating . You never know who is going to be the quarterback, but I work with them so much there isn’t so much of a change with my role.”

So basically, be prepared for either, Stoops said Friday.

Alabama will have to prepare first for the run, however.

Sooners offensive tackle Daryl Williams added that his team's ground attack, which has amassed the nation’s 18th best rushing numbers (235.8 yards a game) helps balance out the offensive picture no matter who takes snaps.

“Every game we want to run the ball and we want to be successful at it. We know if we run the ball good, we know it will help with the quarterbacks, the receivers, it will help anybody,” he said.